Consumer International (CI) announces the theme of this year’s “World Consumers Rights Day” on 15th March 2018 as “Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer”, and calls on consumer organizations worldwide to raise awareness around the world to protect consumers for their fairness and safety when shopping online.

Protection in three areas

According to the CI, the percentage of the world’s population with access to the internet has grown from 1% in 1995, to almost 50% in 2017. During the same time frame, e-commerce has grown at a fast pace. In 2016, an estimated 1.61 billion people worldwide purchased goods online and global e-commerce sales amounted to 1.9 trillion U.S. dollars. However, there is still a range of issues faced by consumers.

The CI calls on its members to take action in the three main areas that directly affect consumers: access to e-commerce, scams, and better online protection.

“Online Certified Shops” echoes with the annual theme

The Council is concerned about the development and protection of online consumption, and has worked according to the principles of the CI to offer information and education to consumers regarding the correct concept, knowledge and other information of online consumption. The “Online Certified Shop” mechanism launched by the Council accepts application from current “Certified Shops” that operate online business, those are entitled to the “Online Certified Shop” emblem promise to resolve all consumer disputes and to be monitored by the Council.

Annual theme of China: to create a quality consumption environment

The China Consumers Association announces their annual themes in recent years according to the needs of consumers and the theme is an important factor to organize their plans and works of the coming year.

The 2018 annual theme of China is “Quality consumption, better life”, the China Consumers Association will create a quality consumption environment to respond to consumers’ needs through the following six areas: strengthening studies on consumption policies, pricing policies, and the relevant laws, the carry out of comparison tests of popular products, the offer of choice of quality consumption, and the provision of better service to consumers.

3.15 “World Consumer Rights Day”

Each year, 15th March is the “World Consumer Rights Day” of the CI to commemorate the rights of consumers since 1983, aiming to protect the rights of all consumers worldwide.

The Consumers International is an independent and non-governmental organization, with over 200 Member organizations in over 100 countries, Macao Consumer Council became a full member of the CI in 1997.